How Mississippi State's Offense Fared Through Saturday's Football Scrimmage
Mississippi State's offense showed continued improvement in the team's second preseason scrimmage on Saturday.
Lightning strikes forced the scrimmage to move indoors early, but not before the Bulldogs showed some flashes of their own. The Air Raid offense looked much more formidable than it had in previous weeks, with nearly every player contributing in some way. Each of the four quarterbacks who saw action on the gridiron completed a pass of at least 25 yards or more, and the run game appeared to be much more developed than it has been in previous years.
Although veteran quarterback Will Rogers is set to lead the program once again in 2022, redshirt freshman signal-caller Sawyer Robertson was given first-team reps to fuel the competition between the two talented athletes. Robertson went 8-of-15 passing on the day for 66 yards with two touchdowns and one interception. His first score of the day came on a long, 29-yard pass that had fans in attendance on their feet. Robertson also had a 28-yard throw that was not officially counted due to a pass interference penalty.
Rogers continued to show why he has been MSU's starter for nearly two complete seasons. The 2021 NCAA leader in completion percentage went 6-of-13 passing for 86 yards with one touchdown and one interception. Each of his six completions was for at least 10 yards, making his average on the day 14.3 yards per completion. Rogers showed more mobility in the pocket and remained consistent throughout his time on the field.
Daniel Greek was the third signal-caller to take the field for Mississippi State. The second redshirt freshman to play at the position on the day struggled, but he had some shining moments. Greek went 2-of-9 passing for 30 yards, with one of those completions being a 22-yard touchdown. He also demonstrated his ability to run the ball with an 11-yard rush to extend a drive.
Lastly, 2021 second-string quarterback Chance Lovertich had the chance to fight for his position on the depth chart. The graduate student and former South Alabama star went 9-of-13 passing for 82 yards with a 2-yard touchdown pass. Lovertich threw the longest touchdown of the day at 36 yards -- although the yardage counted to his advantage, the score was called back due to offensive pass interference.
Five total touchdowns were caught during the day, with two receivers standing out above the rest. Rufus Harvey was the most electric player on the Bulldogs' offense, totaling three receptions for 62 yards and two touchdowns. He was just a few yards short of having a third touchdown. Rara Thomas hauled in four catches for 46 yards and scored two touchdowns of his own. Tulu Griffin also had an eight-yard touchdown reception.
MSU got most of its yardage through the air, but the team found success on the ground thanks to running back Dillon Johnson. The junior had five rushing attempts for 19 yards and tallied two short touchdowns while on the field with Rogers.
Mississippi State will begin the 2022 season in two weeks as it takes on the Memphis Tigers. Kickoff is set for 6:30 p.m. CT at Davis Wade Stadium in Starkville.
